Industry ranks arena near the top again

Industry ranks arena near the top again

Van Andel Arena stands in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids. Photo by Johnny Quirin

After having a very good fiscal year, Van Andel Arena is also having a very good calendar year.

Two trade publications, Billboard Magazine and Pollstar Magazine, have again placed the arena in their rankings of top-performing entertainment venues in the nation and across the globe for the year’s first half.

Billboard ranked Van Andel Arena as the 10th highest-grossing arena worldwide in its seating capacity. The venue grossed $5.93 million from just 27 shows that featured five sellouts and a total attendance of 96,967 paying customers.

Pollstar ranked the arena 66th for total ticket sales in its worldwide list of the Top 100 Arena Venues. Van Andel sold 46,969 tickets from January through June, according to Pollstar.

The same publication also placed DeVos Performance Hall at No. 70 in its worldwide list of Top 100 Theater Venues, with total ticket sales of 43,548.

“The year started well and once again demonstrates the commitment this community has to live entertainment and our venues,” said SMG Regional General Manager Rich MacKeigan.

“This recognition validates the hard work the entire SMG staff puts into making Grand Rapids a ‘must play’ market. We are all proud to work in Grand Rapids and are appreciative of the promoters and ticket-buying public who chose to come to our venues,” he added.

The arena has hosted eight sold-out concerts from November through June. Journey, Luke Bryan, Maroon 5, TSO, Carrie Underwood, Winter Jam, Kid Rock and Bob Seger were the sellouts.

Van Andel Arena finished its fiscal year June 30 with an unaudited surplus of $1.6 million and a total attendance of 664,254. SMG has managed the arena since 1996, the year it opened for business.